Candy Melts and baking chocolate
Valrhona and Callebaut couverture chocolates, professional-format wafers and chips, coloured Candy Melts, cocoa butters and modelling chocolate: everything for ganaches, moulded chocolates, drip cakes and coatings.
Couverture, wafers and chips
Valrhona chocolates cover all three categories: Guanaja 70% for intense ganaches, Jivara 40% with caramel notes for milk chocolate mousses, Ivoire 35% for white entremets and coloured glazes. Callebaut Callets melt quickly and offer excellent value for regular production.
3 to 5 kg couverture wafers are suitable for professional-scale production, while chocolate chips retain their shape during baking at up to 200°C: ideal for cookies, brownies and muffins.
Candy Melts, cocoa butters and modelling chocolate
Candy Melts are coloured vegetable-oil-based wafers that melt in the microwave without tempering and set in 5 to 10 minutes: perfect for cake pops, drip cakes and coated biscuits. Also discover ready-to-use icings for quick finishing touches.
Coloured cocoa butters are sprayed into the moulds before filling for multicoloured chocolates. Modelling chocolate can be sculpted like fondant and hardens as it cools, with a true chocolate flavour.
Tempering: key temperatures
Dark chocolate: melt at 50-55°C, cool to 28-29°C, work at 31-32°C. Milk chocolate: melt at 45-50°C, cool to 27-28°C, work at 29-30°C. White chocolate: melt at 40-45°C, cool to 26-27°C, work at 28-29°C.
Successful tempering gives chocolate shine, a clean snap and easy unmoulding. Work with an accurate thermometer and never add water or water-based flavouring to melted chocolate: it will seize into lumps.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between couverture and standard baking chocolate?
Couverture contains at least 31% cocoa butter, compared with 18 to 25% for standard chocolate: a more fluid melt, superior shine and a clean snap after tempering.
Can Candy Melts replace chocolate?
For drip cakes, cake pops and simple coatings, yes, without tempering. For moulded chocolates, bars and fine ganaches, choose couverture chocolate.
Why does chocolate turn white?
A change in temperature or humidity causes cocoa butter or sugar to rise to the surface. The chocolate remains safe to eat but loses its shine.
How should chocolate be stored?
Between 15 and 18°C, in a dry place protected from odours and light, never in the refrigerator. Allow 12 to 18 months for dark chocolate, 8 to 12 months for milk chocolate, and 6 to 8 months for white chocolate.
